Salpointe Hosts Annual Diego Gadea Invitational

The annual Invitational is named after Diego Gadea, a Salpointe student who took his life in 2011 after battling depression.

Diego's parents, Jeannie and Manuel, spoke to hundreds of attendees on Saturday morning.

“I want to say this to anybody here if you’re down, if you’re depressed ask for help. Talk about it,” Manuel said, via All Sports Tucson. “If one person is touched as a result of this tournament, it will be extremely rewarding for Diego, Jeannie and me and the family. I wish good luck to all the wrestlers.”

Salpointe's wrestling team ran from the school campus to Evergreen Cemetery to visit Diego's grave and reflect on his life.

“It’s always emotional to walk back into this gym for this tournament and talking about it will always bring tears to my eyes,” Jeannie said. “I really admire Salpointe for having the courage to bring us here and bring awareness to Diego’s life and his depression."